ALL ABOARD!!!!

As self-appointed President of the unofficial Atlanta Hawks Fan Club, I have an announcement to make. YOU HAVE UNTIL DECEMBER 10TH TO GET ON THE HAWKS BAND WAGON before it leaves the station. On December 10th the Hawks will have played 20 games, which approximately ¼ the of the season, and once we reach that point, I WILL BE CLOSING THE DOORS OF THE BANDWAGON, AND NO ONE, AND I MEAN NO ONE ELSE WILL BE ALLOWED TO GET ON!!!!

Some of you may be reading this and wondering why in the world would anyone restrict the Hawks bandwagon. I mean over the last couple of years they have been a team that couldn’t even half fill their arena on a nightly basis. One would think, that they would take all of the fans that could get, no matter if they are true fans or bandwagon fans that are simply along for the ride. However things have changed, and as the only person who has been a dedicated Hawks fan throughout this entire prolonged and excruciatingly slow rebuilding process, I REFUSE TO ALLOW PEOPLE TO JUST TAG ALONG FOR THE SPECIAL PLAYOFF RUN THAT AWAITS US AFTER THE REGULAR SEASON!!!! For those of you that have been living under a rock for the past twelve days and not paying attention to the most important team in the NBA, I will fill you in on what you missed. THE HAWKS ARE 4 – 0!!!! Not only are they 4 – 0, but their four wins are all over teams that made the playoffs last year and have a good chance to make the playoffs this year. To date, they have defeated the Orlando Magic (the defending Southeast Division champions), the Philadelphia 76er’s (playoff team from a year, who added Elton Brand this off-season), the New Orleans Hornets (2nd best team in the Western Conference a year ago, and also feature Chris Paul the best point guard in the NBA), and the Toronto Raptors (starring Chris Bosh and Jermaine O’Neal). This proves that this team is no fluke.

It’s amazing that although they currently have the best record in the Eastern Conference and is tied for the best record in the NBA, this is still a team that only gets 10 second highlight packages and brief mentions on Sportscenter. In case you haven’t noticed, this team has the third best starting lineup in the Eastern Conference. That’s right, I said third best in the Eastern Conference. The Hawks lineup consisting of Joe Johnson (simply amazing), Mike Bibby (the much needed point guard), Josh Smith (the ultimate stat-stuffer), Al Horford (an absolute beast), and Marvin Williams (good player, but wrong draft pick) is only behind defending champion Boston, and the new look Detroit Pistons (featuring Allen Iverson). The bench is even pretty good. When you look at the contributions being made by the likes of Zaza Pachulia, Acie Law, Flip Murray, and Maurice Evans, you have to be amazed. THIS IS A COMPLETE TEAM, AND THEY ARE THE TRUTH!!!!

The Hawks went into the off-season riding high off of their shocking playoff appearance of last season. They seemed to lose some of that momentum when Josh Childress elected to sign with Olympiacos of the Euroleague for much more money than the Hawks offered. Although I still believe that the Hawks made a huge mistake by not signing Josh Childress, the combination of Acie Law and Maurice Evans has been able to minimize the loss. Childress was by far the most versatile player on the team. He could defend three positions. He could also slash to the basket, make an open jump shot, rebound, and was essentially the team's backup point guard. The emergence of Acie Law as a capable backup to Mike Bibby has filled in the ball handling void left by Childress, and Maurice Evans has been able to handle the other jobs that Childress handled so well.

Another tough decision that the Hawks had to deal with during the off-season was the status of lame-duck head coach Mike Woodson. People all around Atlanta have been calling for Woodson’s head for the last couple of years, but I have not been one of them. If you watch the Hawks as much as I do (I watch about 75 of the 82 regular seasons game each year) and know anything about basketball, you would know that Woodson was not the problem. He simply inherited the youngest team in the NBA, which also happened to be a franchise that was allergic to point guards. Just look at what happened as the young team began to mature and they traded for a legit point guard. For all of those who have been calling for his head, I think it’s time for you to question your own basketball IQ. He has held this team together through some tough times and we are now reaping the rewards of his hard work. He not only led this team to the playoffs last year for the first time since the 1998 – 1999 season, but he also took the eventual NBA champion Boston Celtics to game seven in their first round playoff series.

Although I am a Hawks fan, I am not delusional. I don’t expect this team to win the NBA championship this season, or even to make the NBA Finals. However, I do expect them to win the Southeast Division and to win a playoff series. This team is truly a treat to watch because they are incredibly athletic and exciting. It’s too bad that they don’t get to play on national TV regularly (a topic that I will discuss at a later date), because people who do not live in Atlanta truly deserve the opportunity to watch this team in action. Now that they have an identity, which is predicated on defense and a run-in-gun style offense, the sky is the limit.

REMEMBER THE DATE, DECEMBER 10TH. CIRCLE IT ON YOUR CALENDARS AND BE SURE TO BE SAFELY SECURED ON THE HAWKS BANDWAGON BY THAT DATE! IF YOU’RE NOT ON BY THEN, WE WILL BE LEAVING THE STATION AND HEADING TOWARD THE PLAYOFFS WITHOUT YOU!!!!

I would be remised if I didn’t mention the historic event that took place on Tuesday night around 11pm. BARACK OBAMA WAS ELECTED THE 44th PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. HE IS THE 1st AFRICAN AMERICAN TO EVER BE ELECTED TO THE NATIONS HIGHEST OFFICE!!!! America has spoken and decided that it is time for things to change. America as a whole is facing some very tough times on several fronts and, as a member of my favorite rap group once said, Something’s Gotta Give. If you don’t believe me, just ask him. Go ahead and tell them Big Boi….



As you know, I have been urging people to get out and vote each week on this blog. I would like to personally thank everyone who cast his or her vote in this election. No matter how you voted, it is important that you let you voice be heard. You should feel proud.

I would also like to urge all of the people reading this that voted for the first time, to continue to vote and not let this be your first and only time.